Top Harvard nutritionist warns processed milk is dangerous, food pyramid is 'udderly ridiculous'

Tuesday, August 02, 2016 by: Ethan A. Huff, staff writer
Tags: milk, USDA food pyramid, health myths

---

(NaturalNews) In order to maintain strong bones and promote good health, you need to drink three glasses of milk every single day – at least according to official U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines. But one of the world's top scientists says this is horrible advice, calling it "udderly ridiculous," and out of step with what we know about sound nutrition.

Dr. Walter Willett, M.D., Ph.D., from the Harvard School of Public Health, is the second-most cited scientist in the entire field of clinical medicine, so he knows what he's talking about. And government recommendations concerning milk intake, he says, are absolute bunk, and shouldn't be adhered to by anyone looking to reduce his risk of bone fractures.

There are a lot of reasons for this, one being that "milk" today is nothing but a highly-processed, milk-like substance that's been heavily altered through pasteurization, homogenization and the addition of synthetic vitamins and minerals, making it a processed food that provides little in the way of actual nutrition. But beyond this, the idea that drinking processed milk somehow strengthens bones is an industry myth.

According to Dr. Mark Hyman, M.D., a leading nutrition expert, milk and dairy products in general are something that people should avoid at all costs. Not only is milk a pro-inflammatory food (at least the processed kind), but it's also counter-intuitive in terms of strengthening bones and reducing one's risk of disease, and here are some reasons why:

1) The calcium in milk isn't as bone-protective as we've all been led to believe. Studies show that vitamin D, magnesium and other nutrients are more important for strengthening bones than calcium. And the calcium in milk, when consumed by itself, may actually increase one's risk of bone problems.

2) Processed dairy lacks the enzymes needed for proper digestion. When milk is pasteurized, the lactase enzyme that digests lactose is destroyed, which is why many people now suffer from lactose intolerance, and can't stomach dairy products without supplemental support.

3) Drinking processed milk can actually increase your risk of cancer. That's right, the calcium in milk has been shown to increase a man's risk of prostate cancer by up to 50 percent. Milk consumption also increases levels of insulin-like growth factor-1, or IGF-1, a hormone that's known to promote the development of cancer.

Don't bother with the USDA's food pyramid; it's garbage

Dr. Willett is also outspoken in condemning the USDA's food pyramid as a whole, which recommends heavy intake of carbohydrates and low intake of fats, two pieces of advice that constitute a recipe for chronic disease and death. The pyramid also pushes the low-calorie myth, failing to differentiate between the types of calories consumed, and how they affect the body differently.

The scientific consensus is finally switching to an understanding that calories aren't what we need to look at, but rather the ratios of the types of foods we eat, and when we eat them. We now know that saturated fats are actually good for the body, and should be consumed in high amounts along with clean proteins, complex carbohydrates in the form of whole vegetables and lots of hydration.

Sugars, grains, artificial sweeteners and additives, and low-fat foods, on the other hand, only fuel inflammation and weight gain, leading to chronic health problems in the long run. Salt, which has long been vilified, is another important nutrient that you need as part of your diet, just so long as it's unrefined sea or mineral salt.

Check out the new book Food Forensics by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, to learn more about how to eat better and avoid disease.

Sources for this article include:

DrHyman.com

BMJ.com